MCFADDIN/TEXAS POINT WATERFOWL
When Central Flyway waterfowl reach their wintering grounds, they often end up on the Texas coast at McFaddin and Texas Point national wildlife refuges.

As many as 90,000 snow geese winter here, and tens of thousands of ducks utilize the fresh, salt and brackish marshes of these two refuges, particularly later in the season. Gadwall, teal, mottled ducks, pintails and mallards are most common, but virtually every duck species in the Central Flyway is a visitor here.

"The best bet for a quality hunt is to show up for a spaced-blind unit, which is basically a reserved blind on its own pond. Other parts of the refuge are open on a first-come, first-served basis, and because we are located a few hours from Houston, it can get crowded on weekends and holidays," says refuge manager Marty Bray.

"The blinds can be reserved Friday mornings prior to the day you want to hunt--either by calling in or showing up at refuge headquarters."

The two refuges are divided into three hunting units, and each is hunted only a few days per week. Thirty blinds are available, but not all are open every day. Some are accessible by foot and others only by boat. Info: 409/971-2909, http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges

MONTANA COYOTES
Elk and mule deer draw hundreds of hunters each year to the 1.1 million-acre Charles M. Russell NWR in east-central Montana, but refuge manager Mike Hedrick says one of the most underutilized hunting opportunities is for coyotes. Montana coyotes boast some of the best fur in the country, and although the refuge has a designated season, it falls during the time when pelts are prime.

"You could spend days out here in December, January and February and never see another hunter. Very few people hunt coyotes but we have a good population of them," says Hedrick. "I would recommend focusing your efforts around the many prairie dog towns on the refuge. They are protected, so they are quite large and very active during warmer days. The predators really flock to them in the winter." Info: 406/971-2909, http://cmr.fws.gov

MATTAMUSKEET SWANS
The opportunity to hunt North America's largest waterfowl is limited to just a handful of states, but the best bet is in eastern North Carolina, where the vast majority of the continent's tundra swans spend the winter. Mattamuskeet NWR often holds one of the highest concentrations of these 15-pound birds in the state and consists of a shallow, weed-filled 40,000-acre natural lake surrounded by an additional 10,000 acres of marsh, cropland and pine uplands.

"We have up to 40,000 tundra swans on the refuge. We also have as many as 100,000 ducks and 6,000 snow geese," says deputy refuge manager Jerry Fringeli. "Most people who hunt swans typically come to hunt ducks and just happen to have a swan permit with them. If a swan presents an opportunity, then that's a bonus."

Swans readily respond to decoy spreads, and many hunters simply use snow goose decoys painted to resemble tundra swans. Other hunters make their own swan decoys.

Only 16 blinds are available, so demand for permits can be high, says Fringeli. But that low number of blinds provides a great opportunity to hunt swans and ducks that haven't been pressured on a daily basis. Fringeli adds that hunt dates are limited and spaced to provide a quality hunting opportunity.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (919/733-7291, www.ncwildlife.org) hands out 5,000 tundra swan permits annually through a lottery system. Info: 252/926-4021, http://mattamuskeet.fws.gov

NEW ENGLAND GROUSE/WOODCOCK
Grouse and woodcock hunters will find ample room in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom on the 26,500-acre Nulhegan Basin Division of the Silvio O. Conte NWR. According to refuge manager Keith Weaver, grouse numbers and woodcock numbers have been pretty good over the last few hunting seasons.

"Grouse numbers are cyclical, and woodcock populations on the refuge depend on the timing of the fall flight, so it can vary from year to year," he says. "We also have very good snowshoe hare hunting."

The interior of Nulhegan Basin is accessible by 40 miles of gravel roads, but has plenty of places that receive little foot traffic. Other portions of the Conte NWR, which was established to protect the upper Connecticut River watershed, are open to hunting, as well. Land is easy to come by in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Info: 802/ 962-5240, www.fws.gov/r5soc

HOGS IN THE BOGUE
Southeast Louisiana's Bogue Chitto NWR has an outstanding wild hog population, and access is as simple as obtaining a free permit from refuge headquarters. The 40,000-acre refuge consists of fertile bottomland hardwoods, swamps and sloughs and is accessible by both boat and vehicle. Much of the land is subject to flooding during periods of heavy rain--concentrating hogs and deer on the limited high ground in and around the refuge, which also lies in Mississippi.

"Hunters can take hogs during the archery and general firearms deer hunts or during the special extended hog season in January and February. There are some very large hogs taken every year," says Shelly Stias, refuge operations specialist for Bogue Chito. Info: 985/882-2000, http://southeastlouisiana.fws.gov

WISCONSIN GOBBLERS
Turkeys have been the benefactors of four mild winters, which means bird numbers are very healthy on Wisconsin's Necedah NWR, says assistant refuge manager Dave Trudeau, but apparently, few hunters are paying any attention to the growing population of gobblers.

"We have as many as 2,000 deer hunters on opening day, but not many people seem to know about our great turkey population. The past couple of years, you can't drive across the refuge without seeing a flock somewhere," says Trudeau.

Necedah NWR covers 47,000 acres and adjoins another 60,000 acres of federal land, which is administered by the Wisconsin DNR and is also open to hunting. Trudeau adds that much of the refuge consists of large tracts of land completetly uninterrupted by roads. So getting away from other hunters and having large numbers of turkeys all to yourself are as simple as walking. Info: 608/565-2551, http://midwest.fws.gov/Necedah